Nsikan Akpan
@monscience.bsky.social
Highly melanated | YNWA | Health & Science Editor | PhD pathobiologist
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
Eight years ago, the US govt's malaria program took over the fight against the disease in northern Cameroon, one of the worst-affected places in the world, and went at it with all guns blazing. In March, it shut down overnight. I traveled there to see what came next. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/h...
How Cameroon Fought to Save Its Malaria Program After the U.S. Cut Critical Funding
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Eight years ago, the US govt's malaria program took over the fight against the disease in northern Cameroon, one of the worst-affected places in the world, and went at it with all guns blazing. In March, it shut down overnight. I traveled there to see what came next. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/h...
Trump administration suspends 5 wind projects off the East Coast - 📝: Matthew Daly
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump administration suspends 5 wind projects off the East Coast
The Trump administration is suspending leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentag...
apnews.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Trump administration suspends 5 wind projects off the East Coast - 📝: Matthew Daly
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
Imagine if just by refusing to comment, you could stop any story from running. You would literally never find out anything unflattering about anybody. It amounts to asking people for their blessing to publish your reporting about them.
CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls 60 Minutes story
Weiss said investigation had to include comments from Trump administration
60M's Sharyn Alfonsi said multiple US agencies refused to comment - and this lets WH veto coverage
My NPR story
www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g...
Weiss said investigation had to include comments from Trump administration
60M's Sharyn Alfonsi said multiple US agencies refused to comment - and this lets WH veto coverage
My NPR story
www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g...
CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls '60 Minutes' story, sparking outcry
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.
www.npr.org
December 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Imagine if just by refusing to comment, you could stop any story from running. You would literally never find out anything unflattering about anybody. It amounts to asking people for their blessing to publish your reporting about them.
📝: Greg Ip
Jobs Could Soon Replace Prices as Focus of Anxiety
Inflation has been top-of-mind for years. That could change.
www.wsj.com
December 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
📝: Greg Ip
“exports have been curtailed to major trading partners; Canada has been boycotting American spirits since March in retaliation for President Trump’s ongoing trade war and U.S. whiskey sales to that country are down by more than 60% through October.”
📝: Janet Patton and Karla Ward
📝: Janet Patton and Karla Ward
Major Kentucky bourbon maker Jim Beam shuttering distillery for 2026
The move comes as Kentucky’s $9 billion bourbon industry is dealing with a glut of supply and slipping sales.
www.kentucky.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM
“exports have been curtailed to major trading partners; Canada has been boycotting American spirits since March in retaliation for President Trump’s ongoing trade war and U.S. whiskey sales to that country are down by more than 60% through October.”
📝: Janet Patton and Karla Ward
📝: Janet Patton and Karla Ward
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study, likely to controversial Danish researchers
@LizSzabo
The agency is paying the University of Southern Denmark to conduct a single-blind clinical trial of hepatitis B in Guinea-Bissau
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
@LizSzabo
The agency is paying the University of Southern Denmark to conduct a single-blind clinical trial of hepatitis B in Guinea-Bissau
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
December 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study, likely to controversial Danish researchers
@LizSzabo
The agency is paying the University of Southern Denmark to conduct a single-blind clinical trial of hepatitis B in Guinea-Bissau
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
@LizSzabo
The agency is paying the University of Southern Denmark to conduct a single-blind clinical trial of hepatitis B in Guinea-Bissau
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
"Pretty much the only sectors that are doing a fair amount of hiring these days are health care and social assistance, which collectively added about 64,000 jobs in November, according to the latest jobs report." - Samantha Fields www.marketplace.org/story/2025/1...
In a slowing job market, health care and social assistance are still two bright spots
But health care hiring’s good run may be coming to a close.
www.marketplace.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
"Pretty much the only sectors that are doing a fair amount of hiring these days are health care and social assistance, which collectively added about 64,000 jobs in November, according to the latest jobs report." - Samantha Fields www.marketplace.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
As diseases such as goat pox and bird flu threaten European food security, leaders have an opportunity to include funding for preventative animal health measures as part of the deliberations over the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.
Concerns Over Animal Health and EU Food Security | Think Global Health
As the EU reviews its Common Agricultural Policy, investing in animal health offers a sustainability measure that could benefit farmers and consumers
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
December 8, 2025 at 10:45 PM
As diseases such as goat pox and bird flu threaten European food security, leaders have an opportunity to include funding for preventative animal health measures as part of the deliberations over the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.
Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat running for Senate, filed articles of impeachment on Wednesday against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
📝Annie Karni
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
📝Annie Karni
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat running for Senate, filed articles of impeachment on Wednesday against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
📝Annie Karni
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
📝Annie Karni
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
Measles is one example of a virus that can linger in the body after an individual recovers from an initial infection. It can then re-emerge years later potentially fatal consequences.
@viraldrmaggie.bsky.social explains why and how this happens on Public Health On Call.
🔗 youtu.be/n0M3B2iP5Ug
@viraldrmaggie.bsky.social explains why and how this happens on Public Health On Call.
🔗 youtu.be/n0M3B2iP5Ug
December 9, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Measles is one example of a virus that can linger in the body after an individual recovers from an initial infection. It can then re-emerge years later potentially fatal consequences.
@viraldrmaggie.bsky.social explains why and how this happens on Public Health On Call.
🔗 youtu.be/n0M3B2iP5Ug
@viraldrmaggie.bsky.social explains why and how this happens on Public Health On Call.
🔗 youtu.be/n0M3B2iP5Ug
Another environmental win for congestion pricing: A new Cornell study finds the policy reduced PM2.5 pollution by 22% in Manhattan news.cornell.edu/stories/2025...
Congestion pricing improved air quality in NYC and suburbs | Cornell Chronicle
Cornell researchers tallied the environmental benefits of New York City’s congestion pricing program and found air pollution dropped by 22% in Manhattan, with additional declines across the city’s fiv...
news.cornell.edu
December 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Another environmental win for congestion pricing: A new Cornell study finds the policy reduced PM2.5 pollution by 22% in Manhattan news.cornell.edu/stories/2025...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
She is also reopening a review of RSV products for infants (reviewed by FDA at the time when it had experts on board) showing that as head of CDER, her focus will be still on promoting her biases.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
3/4 (sorry).
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
3/4 (sorry).
Exclusive: US FDA launches fresh safety scrutiny of approved RSV therapies for infants
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time promoter of anti-vaccine views, is presiding over a review of routine childhood immunizations.
www.reuters.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM
She is also reopening a review of RSV products for infants (reviewed by FDA at the time when it had experts on board) showing that as head of CDER, her focus will be still on promoting her biases.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
3/4 (sorry).
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
3/4 (sorry).
Why Some Doctors Say There Are Cancers That Shouldn’t Be Treated - Gina Kolata
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
Why Some Doctors Say There Are Cancers That Shouldn’t Be Treated
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Why Some Doctors Say There Are Cancers That Shouldn’t Be Treated - Gina Kolata
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
Scientist @jamesgerber.bsky.social spoke to the @nytimes.com about the emissions of coffee, which isn’t a huge climate polluter, but it does produce greenhouse gases. ☕️ To cut back on emissions look for certifications, such as those offered by the @rainforestalliance.bsky.social. Read more ⬇️
I was quoted in this article about climate impacts of coffee
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/c...
As I (and the other experts) said, CO2 emissions from coffee itself are relatively small. So here’s an idea: drink as much coffee as you want, and when you are good and awake, go learn about heat pumps.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/c...
As I (and the other experts) said, CO2 emissions from coffee itself are relatively small. So here’s an idea: drink as much coffee as you want, and when you are good and awake, go learn about heat pumps.
Is My Morning Coffee Climate Friendly?
www.nytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Scientist @jamesgerber.bsky.social spoke to the @nytimes.com about the emissions of coffee, which isn’t a huge climate polluter, but it does produce greenhouse gases. ☕️ To cut back on emissions look for certifications, such as those offered by the @rainforestalliance.bsky.social. Read more ⬇️
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake has hit north-eastern Japan, with reports thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Major earthquake strikes Japan's north-east coast
The magnitude 7.6 tremor prompts orders to evacuate residents.
www.bbc.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:58 PM
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake has hit north-eastern Japan, with reports thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
Our new study provides rare causal evidence about NYC’s speed camera program. We find large reductions in collisions (30%) and injuries (16%) near intersections with cameras. www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @astagoff.bsky.social ky.social @brendenbeck.bsky.social nbeck.bsky.social 🧪
Can speed cameras make streets safer? Quasi-experimental evidence from New York City | PNAS
Each year, approximately 40,000 people die in vehicle collisions in the United States,
generating $340 billion in economic costs. To make roads saf...
www.pnas.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Our new study provides rare causal evidence about NYC’s speed camera program. We find large reductions in collisions (30%) and injuries (16%) near intersections with cameras. www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @astagoff.bsky.social ky.social @brendenbeck.bsky.social nbeck.bsky.social 🧪
"Kenneth T. Zemsky, a tax lawyer whose clients have included Martha Stewart, said that in his decades of practice, for every 10 people who have inquired about leaving New York, about one has ended up actually doing so."
📝: Matthew Haag
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/n...
📝: Matthew Haag
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/n...
Rich New Yorkers Threaten to Leave. Then They Find Out How Hard That Is.
www.nytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:52 PM
"Kenneth T. Zemsky, a tax lawyer whose clients have included Martha Stewart, said that in his decades of practice, for every 10 people who have inquired about leaving New York, about one has ended up actually doing so."
📝: Matthew Haag
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/n...
📝: Matthew Haag
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/n...
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
RIP to this USGS webcam. 🧪
Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Absolutely Destroys This Webcam In a Fiery New Video
Hawaii’s Kilauea, one of Earth's most active volcanoes, sent lava fountains spewing into the air, obliterating a U.S. Geological Survey camera
www.scientificamerican.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
RIP to this USGS webcam. 🧪
I've always loved em dashes and ellipses—and I won't apologize. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/m...
Why Does A.I. Write Like … That?
www.nytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I've always loved em dashes and ellipses—and I won't apologize. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/m...
CDC ACIP restored time for a presentation about aluminum adjuvants, after removing it from the schedule last night. This presentation could be consequential, as changing policy on these adjuvants (which are safe) could affect nearly half of the childhood vaccine schedule at once.
December 5, 2025 at 8:14 PM
CDC ACIP restored time for a presentation about aluminum adjuvants, after removing it from the schedule last night. This presentation could be consequential, as changing policy on these adjuvants (which are safe) could affect nearly half of the childhood vaccine schedule at once.
Reposted by Nsikan Akpan
A panel that advises #CDC on vaccine policy votes to do away with the recommendation all babies should be vaccinated against #hepatitisB at birth. "We are doing harm," said panel member Cody Meissner, who voted against this #ACIP recommendation. www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/c...
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine
The CDC's ACIP panel voted to recommend delaying the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, ending a policy that has reined in the virus.
www.statnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:34 PM
A panel that advises #CDC on vaccine policy votes to do away with the recommendation all babies should be vaccinated against #hepatitisB at birth. "We are doing harm," said panel member Cody Meissner, who voted against this #ACIP recommendation. www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/c...
The CDC member here is Adam Langer. If folks have a chance, they should try to find his statement. It was powerful and happened about 1.5 hours into the meeting.
CDC member rightly reminds ACIP that their recommendations are at the public health levels. They can't make the individual decision - that's for parents.
Yes, ACIP's job is to make population level recommendations.
Yes, ACIP's job is to make population level recommendations.
December 5, 2025 at 2:41 PM
The CDC member here is Adam Langer. If folks have a chance, they should try to find his statement. It was powerful and happened about 1.5 hours into the meeting.